Project Status



Project Type:  Borehole Well and Hand Pump

Program: Wells for Rwanda

Impact: 500 Served

Project Phase: 
Community Managed
Implementing Partner Monitoring Data Unavailable
Initial Installation: Dec 2012

Project Features


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Community Profile

Upon completion of the project, our partner in the field reports...

This site was picked by the LWI staff together with the local leader. Both parties picked the site because their current water was coming from distant swamps. The local leader consulted with the chief of the village, who is also the one in charge of this site. This site location was visited one week in advance before the drilling team arrived. WI staff discussed the way to protect the well and to form the committee that will take care of it and to collect the money to be used for the repairs once it breaks or any other issue. The community did not sign the MOU due to not having access to power. The sustainability coordinator visited the village and agreed with the community to form the management in order to pay money to fix future breakdowns, should they occur.

The LWI Rwanda team had an opportunity to meet with forty-one year old community member and motorbike owner, Venuste Mukama, who stated, "When you compare the new water with the old one, it’s totally different because people used to share water with the cow which is even dirty not clean and far."

During the hygiene education, the LWI Rwanda team addresses: Hand washing, how to properly transport and store water, disease transmission and prevention, how to maintain proper care of the pump, as well as signs and symptoms of dehydration and how to make Oral Rehydration Solution. All of these lessons are taught in a participatory method to help community members discover ways to improve their hygiene and sanitation choices, and implement community driven solutions.

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Project Type

Abundant water is often right under our feet! Beneath the Earth’s surface, rivers called aquifers flow through layers of sediment and rock, providing a constant supply of safe water. For borehole wells, we drill deep into the earth, allowing us to access this water which is naturally filtered and protected from sources of contamination at the surface level. First, we decide where to drill by surveying the area and determining where aquifers are likely to sit. To reach the underground water, our drill rigs plunge through meters (sometimes even hundreds of meters!) of soil, silt, rock, and more. Once the drill finds water, we build a well platform and attach a hand pump. If all goes as planned, the community is left with a safe, closed water source providing around five gallons of water per minute! Learn more here!